Source: West Yorkshire Police
A 29-year-old man from Bradford has been jailed for raping a 17-year-old girl earlier this year.
Chiemka Okoronta, of Morley Street, Bradford, was sentenced at court on Monday, 3 November, to 10 years in prison, with an additional three years on extended licence.
He was convicted in July of three counts of rape and causing a woman aged 16 or over to engage in sexual activity.
The court heard that the attack took place on 26 March. The victim, aged 17 at the time, managed to raise the alarm immediately after the incident, borrowing a stranger’s phone in Bradford city centre to call 999.
Okoronta was arrested shortly afterwards and later charged and remanded in custody.
An extract from the victim’s personal statement, read out in court, revealed the lasting impact of the attack.
“This incident has turned my life upside down. I have flashbacks of what happened to me, I have nightmares,” she said.
“One minute I feel fine and the next it all comes back. I get upset, frustrated, and angry. I’ve stopped seeing friends and often stay in my room to avoid people. When I was told he was found guilty, I felt a sense of relief knowing that this person wouldn’t be able to do the same thing to anyone else.”
Detective Constable Sue Sutcliffe, of Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, praised the victim for her courage in reporting the crime so quickly.
“Okoronta took advantage of his victim and lured her to his home, where he forced her to engage in sexual activity,” she said.
“I would like to commend the victim for her immense bravery in coming forward straight away. Her swift actions allowed us to conduct a fast-paced investigation that led to this conviction.
“I hope today’s sentence brings her some comfort knowing he will not be able to harm anyone else.”
“Okoronta took advantage of his victim and lured her to his home, where he forced her to engage in sexual activity,” she said.
“I would like to commend the victim for her immense bravery in coming forward straight away. Her swift actions allowed us to conduct a fast-paced investigation that led to this conviction.
“I hope today’s sentence brings her some comfort knowing he will not be able to harm anyone else.”
“We have trained officers to guide victims through every stage of the process,” she added. “If you’ve been the victim of a sexual offence, please come forward so we can take action.”
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